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Judiciary committee hears emotional debate on sentencing‑equity bill; prosecutors oppose retroactivity
Summary
SP 378 would let some incarcerated people petition for sentence reductions to match later, lower statutory penalties for controlled‑substance offenses; proponents argued equity for those serving much longer terms, while prosecutors opposed retroactive changes that would alter plea bargains and jury sentences.
Senators heard extended testimony and debate on SP 378, a bill intended to give inmates a pathway to seek sentence reductions when subsequent statutory reforms reduced penalties for the same offenses. Sponsor Senator Elliott and the bill’s drafter, attorney Larry Froelich, said the measure offers a court petition process for individuals serving older, often much longer, sentences to seek alignment with current maximums.
Froelich said the legislation is meant to address cases in which someone sentenced under older law received substantially longer…
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